Star-Crossed Lives
by catchmyfallingstarr
Summary: We all know the lives of all the marauders are dogged by misfortune. So is the life of Catherine Hearst, a girl with the power to change everything. She has led a hard life since her mother disappeared and her brother ran away shortly after. But after she gets her Hogwarts letter, she will find the answers to all her questions...and some of them aren't so good. o/c and Sirius story
1. Prologue

**Star-Crossed Lives**

**Prologue**

Two houses, both alike in dignity,  
In mighty Hogwarts, where we lay our scene,  
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,  
Where muggle blood makes civil wands unclean.  
From forth the fatal Sorting Hat,  
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their name  
Their forbidden love before unheard of  
Will earn the trust of enemies and change  
The future of the magical community  
If they can overcome their prejudiced pride  
And unite those who evil forces strive to divide.

Disclaimer: This is my own version of Shakespeare's prologue to _Romeo and Juliet; _the non-Potter parts are all his.

Disclaimer: The rest of this story is all Hpff, all the familiar parts are property of JK Rowling.

_ A teenage girl was walking in a dark corridor of stone that was lit by flaming torches hanging from metal brackets at intervals along the endless walls, casting light below them and not quite reaching the ceiling far overhead. With a wary look in her sly, dark eyes, the girl paused, listening, hearing something or someone that wasn't visible. With a look of determination, she whipped out a short stick from the pocket of her strange black robes and turned to face the approaching threat. It turned out to be nothing more than a beady eyed dog, with an ugly, smushed face, but when it saw her, it immediately began to bark loudly._

_ With her long dark hair and robes flowing behind her, the girl fled down the corridor, into another, and then at last she approached a statue of a one-eyed old woman, tapped it with her wooden stick, and seemed to disappear. The scene stayed focused on the empty corridor until several men came blundering into view, shouting and thrusting their sticks around, somehow casting light from them. _

_"It was a student, Headmaster! A student out of bed, I declare! Hunter does not bark for naught!" Urged an old man who was now quieting the dog. He addressed a man stately dressed in swirling green robes with silver embroidery at the collar and sleeves._

_"We must find them at once! Who is guarding the Goblet?" Another of the men put forth. _

_"Well, as it seems, no one, since you are all HERE having a mad dash around the corridors when there is no one in sight, because of a mad dog," intoned the man in green coldly. "You all had better get back to the Goblet and leave for NOTHING. Hogwarts will not have an unworthy Champion because of you fools who think chasing dogs is more important than guarding the integrity of this school and of all of Wizardkind, which is already obviously lacking!"_

_The men quickly cleared out and a heavy silence fell. _

Catherine Hearst woke with a start, lying in a meadow golden with windflowers. She looked up sadly at the setting June sun. The time for dreaming was over, she knew… she would have to go back to the house soon. Her father would be expecting dinner, and he didn't like to be kept waiting. She quickly stood up and brushed the grass of her jeans and sweatshirt, and ran toward home.

If it could even be called a home. Catherine couldn't really remember the times when her family had been happy, when her parents had been so in love and proud of her and her brother and her brother had been kind to her. She was too young to know when something wasn't right, when her mother had begun to slowly drift away from them.

She didn't think about those days now...it hurt too much. She was ten years old, living with her father, spending her days placating him and counting the seconds until she could lock herself in her bedroom, or escape outside. School wasn't much comfort, seeing as she only had one friend, and not a close one at that. She spent most schooldays absently drawing or writing, writing, writing. She drew scenes from her dreams, and wrote stories about castles of stone and magic and bravery and love…all things that eluded her. Her tattered clothing and messy hair didn't exactly make the other kids love her at school, and since her brother had run off several years ago and never come back, there was no love at home. The only person who was nice to Catherine was one girl at school, Mary MacDonald. But Mary MacDonald was nice to everyone.


	2. Moving on and moving out

_Five teenage girls were lounging on two four poster beds with bright red and gold hangings. As the scene came into to focus, their voices could be heard, laughing and chatting like old friends. _

_"So," said one girl, her blonde curls bouncing as she sat up. "Who do you think is going to enter?" _

_The light, playful mood seemed to vanish, as several of the girls seemed embarrassed by the question, looking down and avoiding each other's eyes. _

_"Well, let's see, who among us is stupid enough to enter," said another of the girls, her dark eyes flashing. She sat regally, her deep brown, wavy hair sleekly cascading over her shoulders. There was a tense silence as the other girls looked from the blonde girl to the brunette. _

_"Jessa, I am going to tell you what we've all been thinking. There is no reason for you to go moping about because that stupid mudblood died in the tournament. What was he to you anyway? Whatever was going on there, it's time to be getting over it." Several of the girls gasped at this, and the one with the dark hair, Jessa, jumped to her feet, her pale face flushing._

_"Time to be getting over it! Time! How could time make any difference? How do you expect me to just _forget about it? _That boy _died_ because of this disgusting, barbaric, idiotic little contest and everyone is just so excited to do it again!" The other girls were shrinking back, sorry to have brought on this wrath, and the tactless blonde girl seemed to be regretting her words. _

_"Well, it's been a year, let's just give it another go! See if we can manage to kill _two _this time! Make it more exciting!" Jessa's anger gave way to sorrow and her voice broke on these last words as she fled the room. _

_ The girls stood there, staring at each other. "Did you really have to say that, Andrea?" _

_ "Well the tournament is going to happen whether she likes it or not! She might as well just face it. She shouldn't go around yelling grief for poor little mudbloods anyway." _

_At this, a girl who had remained silent throughout the exchange, hanging in the back, came forward and looked the tall, imposing blonde in the eye, and spoke with distinct, cold words, "You have no, idea, what you're talking about, Andrea, and you'd better be planning an apology," and with that she exited the room. _

Catherine woke to see light flooding her room…too much light. Cursing, she leapt from her bed and threw open her drawers, finding the first pair of jeans and sweatshirt she could and putting them on swiftly. She strode to her bedroom door and as she laid her hand on the knob, she stopped and took a deep breath, as though preparing herself for what came next. She walked composedly down the stairs and found her father still passed out on the couch where he had been since eating the spaghetti she had made for dinner the night before.

Making her way into the kitchen, Catherine remembered her dream. Whenever she had dreams like that, so vivid, of places and people she'd never seen in real life, she always managed to miss her alarm. She wondered why it had to happened today, of all days. It was her last day of school for the term. Although she didn't have many friends, Catherine liked school . She was a quick learner and she appreciated the chance to escape her dark, sad house. Without her mother and her brother, the place had an abandoned feeling that sunk a hole in her stomach and made her want to shout just to break the silence. Her father broke this feeling for himself by drinking. Catherine had school.

She ran out in time to walk to school at a leisurely enough pace, after grabbing some toast, and seeing that she used the last two pieces of bread…she have to ask her father to let her go to the store again soon. She took a deep breath and turned to face her day.

Catherine was filled with dread as the announcement ran loud on the speakers throughout the school: CATHERINE HEARST TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, CATHERINE HEARST TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, IMMEDIATELY.

Someone must have seen her fighting with Benjamin, and think she had pushed him and made him fall! She had been so angry, she had been wishing she could shove him to the ground, but she would never have done it! And then, he just, fell.

Slowly, she got up and walked toward the classroom door, feeling the eyes of the class on her, hurrying as Benjamin started the chorus of Ooooo!

She knocked on the door to Mrs. Marsten's office, and heard the cold "Come in," that made her sent shivers up her spine. "Hello, Headmaster Marsten."

"Hello _again,_ Catherine. Do you know why you are here?" Catherine looked around the room evasively, looking for any kind of distraction. This was the third time in a month she'd been called in because of something that just _happened_ when she was angry.

"Well, Catherine—" BEEEPPP BEEEP BEEEP BEEP Mrs. Marsten was interrupted by the blaring sirens of the fire drill bell.

"That's convenient Miss Hearst! Really convenient!" Catherine only smiled up at Mrs. Marsten, standing and leading the way to the door.

"Come on Headmaster Marsten, we had better exit in a swift, orderly fashion."

When the final bell rang and the school year was officially over, every child in the school seemed to be elated. Every child but Catherine. She didn't have anything to look forward to at home, and while relieved to have a break from schoolwork, she knew she'd be wishing for it in a week or so. She walked home slowly, savoring the sweet smelling Summer air. Making her way up the old, rotting porch steps, Catherine was startled at the sudden screetch of an owl that was perched on the porch railing.

"What in the world?" Catherine approached the owl and saw it had an envelope tied to its leg. The beautiful, deep brown owl stuck its leg out at her gaze, looking at her expectantly.

"You're not going to bite me are you?" The owl looked at her reproachfully. "All right then…" Catherine slowly reached out to untie the letter. The owl abruptly took off once it was free of the letter. Catherine watched it fly away, and was sad to see it go. There was something familiar about it, something that reminded her of her mother, but she couldn't quite remember what it was. She suddenly remembered the letter in her hand and looked down at it. The parchment felt thick in her hand, and she saw that the letters were written in a glossy ink scrawl. "To Catherine Hearst, Front Porch, 5 Whatever Drive, Whatever, England."

She flipped the letter over, seeing the fancy seal on the back, and slowly opened it with increasing excitement. She had never gotten mail before, and this letter seemed special…

"What are you doing, standing out there?" It was her father, glaring at her through the screen door. "Get in here!"

Catherine swiftly tucked the letter into her jacket and went inside. She backed away from the door and father quickly as she smelled the booze on his breath. He was already drunk. "I'm going out," he said. "And you're going to stay here, and not do anything."

"Yes, father," said Catherine quietly, keeping her eyes down and her voice even.

"I'll be home for dinner by seven," he added, and with that he was out the door. Catherine knew by that he meant that she had better have dinner ready for him by seven. It seemed like they were out of everything, but she knew she would have to make do. There was no reasoning with him today. Or any day, really. She ran up to her room and threw herself on her bed, sighing, feeling the long summer stretching ahead of her. Then, she remembered the letter. She whipped out of her pocket and tore it open.

"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" Catherine was utterly baffled. Was this a hoax? She read the list of supplies needed for the school year and looked at the train ticket for "Platform 9 and ¾" with increasing incredulity.

The letter told her to respond by "owl post". She remembered how the owl had had the letter tied to its leg...but she didn't have an owl! How was she to respond? And why was she even considering it; there was no way this was _real,_ there was no such thing as magic! But there was something about this that seemed so incredibly familiar…suddenly she remembered where she had heard the name Hogwarts before. It was in her dreams…that place where her dreams were often focused was called Hogwarts; it was a castle… with people who could produce light and make things happen by pointing wooden sticks and saying words in what sounded like Latin… wands and spells? Catherine had to sit down.

So…so, if this was real, if it was really real…she could leave townname? She would never have to come back here? She could learn to be a…witch? Catherine read the letter, twice, three times. She gathered that she would still need to buy school supplies, and somehow get to Kings Cross Station in London on September first. This would mean a very unpleasant talk with her father.

Catherine prepared the most complicated meal she could and waited impatiently for her father to come home. When he finally trudged in the door, she welcomed him and said that she had dinner ready. They ate silently. He was relatively sober, Catherine was glad to notice. When he finally put down his fork, Catherine spoke.

"Father, I received a letter today."

"What? What sort of letter? No one writes to you," he responded coldly, not even looking at her.

Gingerly taking it out her pocket, Catherine showed him. "It's a letter from a school…called Hogwarts…and-"

"That nonsense again! They want you too! I knew it, I knew this was going to happen."

"You've heard of it?" said Catherine.

"Heard of it! Those blasted wizards! I won't have anything to do with them, and neither will you! They're the reason you don't have a mother!"

He was so angry, he had a strange glint in his eye. Normally, Catherine knew better than to try to reason with him when he was in a mood like that, especially when she was the focus of his anger. But at the mention of her mother, she couldn't help herself.

"My mother? You told me she abandoned me! You told me she left us, because she didn't care and didn't want to stay! You told me she never loved us!"

"She DIDN'T! She LEFT! SHE LEFT US FOR THOSE BLASTED WIZARDS, TO GO FIGHT IN THEIR DAMN WAR!"

Catherine didn't back down as he advanced on her, screaming in her face. "My mother left to fight in war with wizards…you lied to me! She didn't abandon-" SLAP. Catherine fell to the floor from the force of her father's hand, clutching her face.

"You don't talk to me like that. You, don't, you don't talk to me. I say you won't have anything to do with these people, and so you won't." He spoke in a measured, cold voice, but Catherine could hear the underlying anger, and she was terrified of him in that moment as she lay crouched on the floor with him standing over her. He briskly turned on his heel and walked out the door again. She didn't move. She heard the car start up, and heard him peel out of the driveway in it…but she still didn't move. Sitting there, she processed all this new information.

Her mother. She hadn't left her for no reason…it was possible that she hadn't stopped loving her…this meant that her mother was a witch…with a shock, Catherine realized that she was a witch herself. "I have magical powers…" she spoke into the silence. "I could find her…I could leave." The possibilities were swirling in her mind. She stood up gingerly, her back aching where she had landed on the floor and her face still stinging. Picking her Hogwarts letter off the table, she read it again, scanning for details…she had to buy school supplies…a cauldron, a wand, spellbooks… She looked at the signature. Professor M. McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress…Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster. She didn't have an owl, but maybe she could write to them anyway; they must have people that sorted the normal mail.


	3. Surprises from the Past

_ A girl was reading in a dark corner of the library, her long dark hair hiding her face. Two girls with green insignias on their robes approached her. _

_ "Are you still crying over here?" said the blonde one, Amelia, coldly. "Your poor little mudblood is dead, and he's not coming back." _

_ Jessa stood up and shoved past them, walking briskly to the corridor. Once out of sight she ran, clutching her books tightly to her chest. As she looked back she ran straight into someone, knocking them over. _

_ "Edward," she said dazedly, looking at him in his Gryffindor robes, picking himself up off the ground. He held out a hand to her but didn't smile. He helped her up but grimaced when she touched him. "Edward…"_

_ "Goodbye, Jessa." He turned and walked away. Jessa stood looking after him. _

_ "Do you hate me now too?" she shouted. He turned. _

_ "Your brother killed mine," he said. _

_ "Edward, please, you know how I feel about my brother! You know I loathe him, and my father! How can you blame me for this?" She was pleading with him. _

_ "Until you admit that to them, nothing has changed. Your words mean nothing, Jessa. You can say that to me all you like, but that doesn't change the fact that my brother is _dead _and he's never coming back. If your family knew how you felt, then maybe..."_

_ Jessa scoffed. "They would have killed him all the quicker." _

_ Edward looked at her hard."Goodbye." He turned, then looked back, and said, "If you want me to believe you aren't as heartless and cold as your family, then do something to prove it." _

Tap, tap tap, tap, TAP. Catherine woke with a start. She was lying stiffly on her bed, fully clothed…the light was on…she had fallen asleep reading, again. TAP. Startled, she saw the source of the tapping noise that had woken her outside her window. It was an owl! Finally, a response! Her heart leaping, she ran to the window and let the owl in, quickly untying the letter. It had been a week since she had written to Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and explained her situation.

The letter read:

_Dear Miss Hearst,_

_I am aware of your situation and someone should have come along to explain about the world of magic to you, as is normally the case for those with Muggle (nonmagic) parents. Unfortunately, you were overlooked, as part of your family is magical. However, since that part is no longer present, I myself will come to collect you on August the 24__th__ if it is suitable to you, at noon. I will help you to find and purchase the required items for school and explain to your father how imperative it is that you attend Hogwarts, if, of course, you should wish to, as I can assume you do, since you wrote to me. _

_Respectfully yours,_

_Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster_

Catherine was grateful to the Headmaster. She couldn't believe her luck. Part of her still had some misgivings, however…she didn't see how Dumbledore would be able to explain to her father how "imperative" it was that she attend Hogwarts. She didn't know if it was possible, but she was sincerely hoping he would succeed. She found it odd how he had referred to her mother as the magical "part" of the family…but she let it pass. She wondered if Dumbledore might know what happened to her mother, perhaps why, if she did still love her daughter at all, she never came back.

On the morning of August 24th, Catherine slept late, having not been able to sleep the night before. She woke to the sound of her father yelling.

"Catherine! Breakfast! Where are you?"

He had been even surlier the past few weeks, ever since the Hogwarts letter. She hadn't tried to discuss it with him since, not seeing the point. She would wait for Dumbledore. Remembering that today was the day, she dressed hurriedly and ran downstairs, glancing at the mantle clock on her way to the kitchen: eleven. Her father glared at her as she came into the room. She had been walking on egg shells since the Hogwarts letter, as he scrutinized her every move; she knew he was wondering why she was behaving so obediently, and she knew he suspected that she had something up her sleeve.

She made breakfast silently, eyeing the clock. Her father watched her watching the clock and ate. Too nervous to eat, she waited. She had just finished clearing the dishes when the front bell rang. "I'll get it!" she said quickly. She whipped open the door to see a tall, somewhat elderly man with a long white beard and half-moon glasses perched atop a crooked nose.

"Professor Dumbledore?" She asked breathlessly. "Ah, yes, Miss Hearst. Pleased to meet you," they shook hands and Catherine welcomed him into the house.

"Dumbledore?" said her father from the next room.

"Ah, Mr. Hearst. Hello once again." Catherine looked between them confused. Her father stood with his feet apart, glaring openly at Dumbledore. The professor merely smiled composedly.

Gesturing to the living room, Dumbledore said cheerfully, "Well, there is much to discuss. Shall we be seated?"

"Would you like some tea, sir?" said Catherine, remembering her manners. "I would be delighted," the Professor answered cheerfully, seating himself while her father stood, anger brewing on his face. Catherine quickly left to put on a pot of tea. When she came back in, she heard her father arguing with Dumbledore.

"You have no right! You people! You think you can just do whatever the hell you want! I'm a parent, I have rights!"

Dumbledore's voice was still calm, but with a cool edge now. "We do take the parents' wishes into account. Your wife left clear indication that she intended both of her children to go to Hogwarts and receive a full magical education."

Catherine's father responded angrily, "I won't have anything to do with it! I won't pay for it! I told that boy; if he went, he was never coming back!"

"Gregory went to Hogwarts?" Catherine burst in. "That's where he's been all these years?" her voice rose in excitement.

Her father rounded on her. "Yes, that's where he went, off with wizards and magic just like your mother, and I told him, I told him not to bother coming back if that's what he was doing, running around with those vicious people!"

"Yes," said Dumbledore sadly, "It is true that the crowd your son chose to surround himself with is rather "vicious". However, not all wizards are alike. I assure you, your daughter will be surrounded by good people, along with the bad. She has the right to choose. Your wife intended Catherine to go to Hogwarts, despite the hatred she had for certain people of Wizardkind."

"Fine!" her father shouted. "Fine! She can go off with wizards and learn all that rubbish and be magical, but when it ends up killing her, it will be on her! It won't be my fault! I warned you!"

Catherine was excited. He was actually agreeing! She didn't know why he thought learning magic would kill her, but he wasn't going to stop her!

"Well come on, Catherine, let's go get your school things," said Dumbledore briskly, standing and leading her to the door. Avoiding her father's eyes, Catherine hurried after him.

"But I haven't any money," she said as they hurried down the path to the street. "And he said he won't pay…"

"Your family has a vault at the Wizarding bank, Gringotts. Your mother's family was quite wealthy, and now that they are all dead, it is left to you and your brother."

Catherine stopped walking. "So…my mother is…dead, then?" She said quietly. Dumbledore turned to face her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hearst," she died five years ago, fighting against an evil wizard. Your father was notified, but I suppose he didn't tell you…"

"He just told me that she abandoned me, because she didn't love me enough to stay with us, and that she may as well be dead," said Catherine bitterly. "I never really thought I'd see her again, but there was always that hope…" she trailed off.

"You can see that your father holds a lot of bitterness towards wizards because of it," said Dumbledore.

"That's why he said learning magic would get me killed!" Catherine realized.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "That's certainly his opinion. Learning magic, while potentially hazardous, is not all that life-threatening in itself. It's what you do with it that makes the difference," he clarified, turning to walk further down the street.

Walking beside him down the familiar lane, Catherine considered this. "And my mother chose to fight with her magic," she said. "Why? How was the wizard she fought evil?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Within the wizarding world, there are many types of people, with different beliefs…rather like Muggle political parties. The old wizarding families who have had magic in their family for generations generally think that they should have power over muggles, and that wizards and witches who come from muggle families don't deserve to have the same power in the wizarding world that they do," he explained carefully.

"Your mother, Vera Crabbe, came from one of those old wizarding families. Her parents and all her relatives discriminated against muggles and wizards who didn't have pure wizard blood, and when one wizard, called Voldemort, stirred up violence against these people, your mother's family gladly supported it. Your mother, however, didn't approve. She married your father, a muggle, obviously, and was disowned. When she heard what her family was doing, however, she knew she had to become involved. She joined forces with myself and several others to keep him from gaining power, for a time…but not indefinitely. And we lost several honorable people, your mother included." When Dumbledore finished speaking, he stopped walking. "This will do," he said. "Take hold of my arm. We are going to disapparate, or disappear and reappear where we want to be. Hold tightly." Catherine gripped his arm and they disappeared.


	4. Welcome to Hogwarts

_A tall, slim girl with long dark hair and wary eyes looking large in her pale face was running down the corridor lit by torches. As she bolted past a group of Slytherins, they stared at her and shook their heads disdainfully. She bowled right into a group of Gryffindors, who swore and called her a disgusting Slytherin. On she ran, not seeming to notice any of it. Finally, she reached the tower room full of owls, and rushed to write a letter:_

_31__st__ October 1844_

_Father, I hope you are well. I sincerely apologize for any embarrassment you feel I have been causing here. I am not well liked in these days after the Tournament, but I assure you the two events are not connected. There are those claiming that I am grieving for the mudblood lost in the Game, but I assure you, I am not in the least. These rumours have been started simply to tarnish my reputation and yours, and I plan to correct them in any way possible. _

_Your Loving Daughter,_

_Jessa Alexandra Hearst _

_The girl shivered as she put down the quill, as if writing these words disgusted her, but with a resigned look on her face, she owled the letter. _

Catherine woke to her loud alarm early on the morning of September first. She had been paying more attention to her strange dreams since she had learned that Hogwarts and magic were real. She didn't mean the normal dreams, like she had every night…but certain dreams she had just felt so real…like she was witnessing something that had actually happened, at one point.

It must have actually happened, because she had been dreaming about Hogwarts since before she knew it was real, and she knew things about the castle before she learned them. Like about the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. After Dumbledore had taken her shopping in Diagon Alley, she had returned with all her supplies and brought them quickly to her room so as not to anger her father further.

Later, she had looked through it all, and started to read some of her books. She found _Hogwarts, A History_ particularly interesting when she found that she already knew some of the information. It had confirmed to her that the place from her dreams really was Hogwarts. She had to wonder why she was dreaming about things that had happened long ago. She found the parts about the Triwizard Tournament particularly interesting, and yet lacking. It read that the Tournament was banned after too many people had died, but it didn't say how, or who. Catherine knew.

But today, she would finally be going there, to Hogwarts, the scene of so much excitement, herself! Her father had grudgingly agreed to drive her to Kings Cross Station in London. It was only about a half hour drive for them, but he still extremely disapproved of magic and was resentful of the way Catherine had gone behind his back to Dumbledore. He had been ordering her around more than usual this summer, and it grated on Catherine's nerves. She was still unbelievably angry that he hadn't told her about Hogwarts, or her mother's family, the fact that her mother had died, or that he knew where her brother had been all these years. He had kept so much from her because he didn't want her to have the chance to leave him and study magic as well.

Still, she smothered her anger and took his orders sitting down. For the first time, she could see a way out. She knew she wouldn't always have to be here, stuck in this sad house, with him taking his anger out on her. The whole idea of magic was still surreal to her, however, and she was afraid it would all somehow slip away, and then she'd have no escape. Determined not to do anything to jeopardize it, she kept her emotions in check and kept silent around her father, doing as he told and avoiding him as much as possible, as always.

Now, she hurriedly packed her things in the trunk she had purchased in Diagon Alley and dragged it down the stairs. Her wand she kept carefully in the pocket of her robe, even though she had yet to use it since the first wave in Ollivander's when she had felt it come alive in her hand, pulsing with her magic, and she had known it was the wand for her.

Her father didn't speak on the long drive to London, and she didn't break the silence. She stared resolutely out the window, thinking how this was the last time she'd see him for so long. She wasn't the least bit sorry, and she wondered if she should feel guilty for this…but she didn't, and that's all there was to it. When they got to the station, he pulled up to the curb, and she dragged her heavy trunk out. He didn't offer help to her when she almost dropped it, and she didn't expect him to. She finally heaved it out of the smelly old car and turned away. He drove off quickly. Not looking back, Catherine found a trolley and somehow got her trunk onto it. People were rushing past her, all looking certain about their destinations and bored with them at the same time.

Following the flow into the station, she was jostled and she struggled to keep control of the trolley. Finally, she made it to platform 9…and then she saw platform 10. The prescient knowledge from her dreams couldn't help her here, as she had yet to see anyone modern enough to go to Hogwarts through the train station. She pulled her trolley off to the side to let people pass as she checked the ticket number. "Platform 9 and ¾…between 9 and 10…" She thought of the way she and Dumbledore had gone through the wall in Diagon Alley. She discretely approached the wall, but she knew it wouldn't make sense to draw her wand here. If people were doing that, everyone would know there were witches and wizards in the world. She tentatively pushed her hand against the wall, and it went through! With a gasp, she realized she had figured it out and slowly pushed her trolley through and stepped onto Platform 9 and ¾, staring in awe at the magnificent scarlet steam engine.

The platform was crawling with students all running and greeting each other, hugging parents goodbye, and lifting their things onto the train. She walked along the train to find a less crowded entrance and slowly the crowd thinned as she pushed the heavy trolley as close as she could get it to the door. After attempting to lift it onto the train and failing miserably once, she refused to accept that she needed help. There was no one around to help her anyway. She didn't have nice, loving parents, like the ones the girl with auburn hair at the next doorway over had. As Catherine watched, the girl's father lifted her things onto the train while her mother fussed over her, telling her to keep safe and clean and behave. A girl Catherine assumed was the red-haired girl's sister stood aloofly nearby, her arms crossed.

"Hey, you're blocking the door." Catherine jumped and accidently pushed her trolley, causing her trunk to fall off and bash into her shin. She winced in pain and stood up dizzily, grabbing onto the trolley for support. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you," said the boy who had spoken initially. He had dark brown hair the swept mischievously over his grey eyes, and he was broad shouldered, yet as young as she was. "You, uh, need some help?" he asked, and Catherine realized she was still standing there, clutching the trolley and looking at him.

"Oh, er, yeah…could you help me lift my trunk?" He stepped up beside her and they lifted the monstrous thing and slid it into the doorway, though Catherine's shin twinged with the pressure she put on her leg and she winced.

"You all right?" The boy asked, looking at her concernedly.

"Oh, yes, I'm—"

"Sirius!" another boy was calling and plowing a way through the people still on the platform. He had messy brown hair and glasses.

"James!" the boy next to her responded, and went over to say hello.

_Oh well, so much for that_, thought Catherine, and she climbed onto the train and dragged her trunk into the nearest compartment. She left it on the floor, not even wanting to try to lift it onto the luggage rack. She rolled up her pant leg to look at her nice new bruise from the thing…it wasn't that bad, compared to the others that were still healing from when her dad had gotten mad at her for breaking a plate last week.

"Mind if I sit here?" It was the girl with the red hair and the nice parents, standing in the doorway to the compartment. Catherine quickly hid her bruises and stood up, not showing any pain.

"Sure! I'm Catherine Hearst."

"Lily Evans. Are you a first year too?"

"Yeah!" The girls smiled at each other and sat down, Lily leaving her trunk on the floor as well.

Glancing out the window, then back at Catherine, Lily spoke, "Everything is so interesting here! My parents think it's so wonderful that I'm a witch. They're muggles, you see."

"Yeah, I saw you with them on the platform. They looked like they didn't want to let you go, though," said Catherine humorously, yet meaning it.

"Yes, I'm going to miss them too…but they've got Petunia. My sister," she answered to Catherine's questioning look.

"She didn't look too happy," asked Catherine, wondering if she was being nosy.

"She doesn't really like the idea of my being a witch…" Lily said quietly.

"I bet she just doesn't want to be left behind," said Catherine, remembering when her brother had left all those years ago. With a start, she realized Gregory was somewhere on the train right that moment! She sat up and looked out the window. She saw the boys from before, Sirius and James, shoving each other and joking with two other boys, a pale, thin kid and a rather short, stumpy one.

Catherine quickly looked away as the boys headed toward the train. They ended up choosing the compartment across from Catherine and Lily. They could see them partially through the glass doors. There was one other isolated boy sitting in the corner, pointedly ignoring them and staring out the window. "Oh, excuse me, that's my friend Severus! He's my neighbor," Lily explained as she hurried through the doors.

Catherine sighed and glanced out the window. Even Lily had friends already even though she was muggle born…but soon enough another girl, and then two more, made their way into the compartment.

"Why are these trunks on the ground?" One girl asked snootily. "I would have thought to put them up top to make room for everyone else's." She flipped her shoulder-length blonde hair over her shoulder and sneered as she noticed Catherine sitting there. "Hello, I'm Vera Cuzier," said the girl, watching Catherine for a response to the name.

"Catherine," she responded, not standing or offering her hand to this girl. As the girls seated themselves and began a conversation about people Catherine had never heard of, she tuned them out and stared listlessly out the window. Her thoughts again wandered to her dreams…Jessa Alexandra Crabbe…Catherine knew the girl from her dreams must be somehow related to her on her mother's side.

Just then, Lily came bursting back into the compartment, looking upset. She sat across from Catherine, who was likewise ignoring the other girls in the compartment. "Lily, what's wrong?"

"Those boys in that compartment are horrible jerks, and Sev said I shouldn't care about my sister because she's "only a muggle!" Lily was holding back tears.

Catherine was abruptly angry and she glared across the hall to the boys' compartment, watching as the four boys laughed and pushed each other around. Lily's sullen looking friend was gone.

"Don't listen to him! What a prat," said Catherine.

"So," said one of the other girls to Lily, "You're muggleborn?" Catherine glared at her. She knew what this girl was implying. It seemed as if time hadn't changed the attitudes of some people.

"So what if she is?" said Catherine defiantly. Lily just looked confused.

"And you're one of t_hose_," said the girl disdainfully. "Well girls, I don't know about you, but I think it smells _dirty _in here, and I'd rather sit somewhere else." She dragged her down and left, and two of the girls followed suit. The third sat there awkwardly.

"Don't mind Cora, she's horrible to everyone," she said quietly. She had a somewhat round face and short, dark hair. "I'm Alice," she added.

"I'm Lily, and this is Catherine," said Lily. Catherine thought she was pretty quick to forgive.

"How do you know..Cora …and them?" she said suspiciously.

"Our families know each other, and we grew up seeing each other at parties and such. Our parents saw us all on the train, so I got on with her, but I'm glad to get away from her. I hope to God we're not in the same house."

"House?" said Lily, still looking confused.

"It's like where we'll live in the castle, with our House, but it's more than that," said Catherine. She couldn't think of a way to possibly explain the inexplicable hatred between Slytherins and Gryffindors, the centuries long grudge…besides, she didn't even know if things had changed since then. Maybe there were no Slytherins now, she thought hopefully.

"Cora will be in Slytherin, no doubt," said Alice. _No such luck_, thought Catherine. As Alice explained about the houses to Lily, she dozed off, and slipped into yet another dream about Hogwarts…

_"Jessa Alexandra Crabbe," spoke the headmaster, reading from a bit of parchment, while a hall full of students listened. There was a second of dead silence. And then, "WHAT?" from a Slytherin boy with dark hair like Jessa's…her brother. As Jessa stood up, whispers broke out all over the hall. She walked composedly past the flaming goblet, the eyes of the whole hall boring holes in her back. _

_The scene changed to show a boy with light brown hair and blue eyes waiting in the corridor. Suddenly, Jessa come out of the door and saw him. "Well," she said. "I'm doing something."_

_"This!" he said angrily. "This isn't what I meant! Getting yourself killed isn't going to make anything better!" _

_"Ah, but that's not what I'm doing. You, like everyone else, just assume that I am going to lose."_

_He looked at her warily._

_"What if don't?" she said cheerfully. "What if I win? Me, a girl that everyone hates. I can prove that it doesn't take money or power or even favor to win this game. You simply have to be the best." _

_"And what if you do?" he cut in sharply. "What if you DO lose and you die?" Edward cut in._

_"Well, then I prove my father right. Girls really cannot win at anything, they are far too stupid" said Jessa, stepping closer to Edward and looking him in the eye. "Just. Like. _Mudbloods_." She spat the word at him and turned and walked briskly away. _

Lily and Alice woke Catherine and they all changed into their robes excitedly as the train approached the town of Hogsmeade. They made their way to the boats where the first years were being shepherded and got one together. Lily and Alice ooed and ahhed at their first sight of the castle, but Catherine just smiled.

All the first years were speculating about how they would be sorted as they climbed up to the castle. "I wonder what sort of test it is," said Alice.

"Don't you know?" said Catherine. "It's a Sorting Hat, which the founders of Hogwarts made. You put it on your head and it tells you which house you belong in."

"It _tells _you?" It was the rude girl from the train. "A talking hat, hmm? And how would _you_ know that?"

Catherine panicked. "I, er, don't remember. I just heard that it used to be that way, it might not be any more…"

Just then a professor opened the door and the conversation stopped. She was a young woman, but her face had a pinched, stern look that demanded respect. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and welcomed them. She then led them into the Great Hall, where four long tables full of older students stood waiting.

They lined up on the side and Lily and Alice glanced at Catherine and smiled when Professor McGonagall took out the Sorting Hat and placed it on the stool. Catherine seemed to be the only first year who was unsurprised when it burst into song. She wondered why none of the other students had heard of this before, when most of them had been raised in magical families, and she had not.

She listened carefully to the Hat's song, knowing from her dreams of history how wise it could be. It sang about how Hogwarts needed to learn from the past, and that events were beginning to unfold that had brought tragedy in the past, and something needed to be done. It was an ominous sign, she thought. Of course, most of the students failed to notice this and only remembered the parts about their houses afterword, but Catherine saw Dumbledore gazing concernedly at the hat, taking in every word.

Lily, Catherine, and then Alice were all sorted into Gryffindor. Catherine was unsurprised to see that the Cora girl became a Slytherin. As Catherine watched the Sorting, she suddenly heard the name "Mary MacDonald!" be called, and she looked up at the stool in surprise to see Mary walking toward it.

"Mary's a witch too!" she said, and Lily and Alice looked at her curiously. "Oh, please be a Gryffindor…" she pleaded quietly.

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the hat, and Catherine cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors, then jumped up and waved Mary over to sit next to her.

"Mary!"

"Catherine?"

"I didn't know you were a witch!" said Catherine, hugging her tightly.

"Neither did I, until McGonagall came along with my Hogwarts letter! It was quite a surprise for my parents, let me tell you." The girls smiled at each other and Catherine introduced Mary to Lily and Alice. Although they had never been that close, Mary was the one person at school who had ever treated Catherine nicely, and now they found themselves together in an unfamiliar place.

The girls all laughed and talked and ate themselves silly when the food finally appeared on the table. The other first years had another surprise when the ghosts came soaring through the walls. For Catherine, it was comforting to see that things really hadn't changed all that much since the time of Jessa Alexandra Crabbe. However, she wasn't quite ready to let anyone else know about her dreams just yet, so she kept her knowledge to herself and acted just as surprised as anyone else.

After the sorting, all the first years started to follow the Gryffindor Prefects to Gryffindor tower, but a sharp hand pulled Catherine aside into a corridor hidden behind a tapestry.

"Hello again, Catherine," he said coldly.

"Gregory!" She couldn't believe it was her brother. She took a step back and looked at him. He seemed so much older… he looked much like their father.

"You've made a bad start here, Catherine," he said, backing her into the cramped corner as he spoke, shaking his finger in her face.

"What do you mean?" she said nervously. He looked angry.

"Gryffindor," he spat_. _"How could you? Of all the houses! And then you go hugging that mudblood!" He was pacing back and forth in the small space now.

"So…I take it you're in Slytherin, then?" seethed Catherine. She was getting angrier by the second.

"As our mother was," he affirmed, "and as you should be," he glared at her.

"Go to _hell," _said Catherine fiercely. Gregory stared at her in surprise."Five years," she went on, "Five years of not knowing where you were or if you were even alive, five years, you just left me, with _him,_ knowing what he was like! You left me there!" She was yelling now. "And now I've finally found you and I know about mum and you come and tell me that the only person who was ever nice to me in that hellhole is someone I shouldn't hang around with!"

He raised his hand as if to slap her, just the way her father always did, and she cringed, but his blow never fell. Sirius Black was standing there holding back Gregory's arm with a murderous look on his face.

"You little prat!" screamed Gregory as he shook his arm loose and drew his wand. Catherine was suddenly afraid for Sirius. Then James and two other boys ran into the corridor and saw Gregory with his wand raised. Gregory turned on Catherine, grabbing her and holding his wand to her neck; he whispered in her ear, "I'm warning you Catherine, you'd better watch who you spend your time with," and he abruptly released her and disappeared through the tapestry. Catherine sat down heavily, shaking, right there on the floor.

Everyone was silent as the portrait slammed behind him. Then, Sirius said, "We're ok, guys," and James and the two boys left, staring at Catherine.

Sirius just helped Catherine up, said, "You ok?" and waited for her nod, then followed right after the other boys.

Shaking her head, Catherine waited a moment, processing what had just happened. Gregory, a Slytherin, looking so cruel and acting like her father….she would never have thought it of him. She remembered what Dumbledore had said to her father, about her brother having chosen to surround himself with a "rather vicious" circle of people. She shivered and left the corridor, finding herself in an unfamiliar hallway. She looked more closely at the walls, trying to imagine them as they were a hundred years ago, and picked a direction to walk in. Soon, she found the familiar corridors leading to the Gryffindor Tower, and where she knew the door to be, saw a portrait of a fat lady in an opera gown.

"Um…hello?" said Catherine stupidly. "Is this where to get into Gryffindor Tower?"

"If you know the password," said the fat lady in the portrait.

Luckily, at that moment an older Gryffindor girl and boy came down the corridor and saw her predicament. They gave her the password, "Wicker wand" and they all climbed in.

"Catherine?" said Lily, approaching from a corner of the vast common room. "Where were you?"

"Oh…just exploring," said Catherine nervously. She was not quite ready to explain the situation with her brother yet any more than she was to tell everyone about her dreams.

"Well come on, let's go and see the dorm!" said Lily excitedly. Catherine smiled serenely as Lily led her up the stairs into the room that was both familiar and yet different to Catherine, where Alice and Mary waited.

As she lay down on her bed, Catherine thought, "I'm really here..." She knew it was an amazing thing to be here at Hogwarts, but she also knew that what she had faced with her brother today was only the start of a long battle in the years to come.


	5. Freedom

Catherine woke early the next day, startled out of her dream. It was another of those all-too-real ones, about Hogwarts. It was strange to see the halls she was soon to walk in and become familiar with from her own perspective. This dream had been about Jessa again…she had entered the TriWizard Tournament to prove to her father that a girl could win, to prove to her love, Edward, that she was willing to do something to defy her father, and to prove to everyone else that she wasn't the mad, helpless "wench" they took her for. It went against everything this girl had believed in to enter the tournament in which her own brother had killed Edward's brother. She thought the tournament was barbaric and pointless, but now she was using it to prove a point. If she won, she would prove that a girl could win. If she lost, well, maybe they'd finally realize what a danger it was and ban the tournament once and for all.

So intrigued was she by Jessa's life that Catherine had begun to will herself to have these dreams, and now they were coming more often. Jessa and she seemed to have many things in common: Slytherin families with themselves being the ones who disagreed with the old prejudices, dangerous brothers and very little friends. Although, Catherine thought, she might have friends now. Lily, Alice, and Mary were all nice and always included her. _I just hope it stays that way_, thought Catherine.

After a short time, the other girls started to stir and there was a massive fight for the bathroom that soon became a tradition. Lily was always up bright and early and done before anyone else had even moved, then Catherine, Alice, and Mary would trip over each other and fight to finish getting ready in time.

The first semester at Hogwarts was wonderful for Catherine. She only saw Gregory from a distance, and she never encountered him in the corridors or in class, because he was a fifth year and the older students never had class with the first years. She was intrigued by her classes as she had never been before at the muggle primary school; for the first time, she was being truly challenged, and everything she was learning was completely new to her. From her dreams of the past, she could never have guessed how hard it was to cast spells.

However, she really enjoyed learning magic and excelled in her determination. She never wanted to be put into a position where a dangerous wizard was holding his wand to her neck ever again. Sirius Black and his buddies, "the marauders", as they came to be called, slacked off and joked around and generally wreaked havoc all around the school. Catherine was still confused about how Sirius had come to her rescue, and then just left, acting cool and careless again. She decided that he was just annoyingly brave. The marauders picked on her for being a "nerd," but it didn't particularly bother her, as they generally picked on every other student as well. Lily in particular found this annoying.

Caught up in the rush of learning magic, homework, and spending time with her friends, Catherine was shocked to discover that the winter holidays were approaching fast. She hadn't celebrated Christmas since her mother had left. She and Gregory had planned to try to keep their family traditions going, but then he had disappeared to Hogwarts. She had no desire at all to go home for Christmas, and she quickly signed her name on the list of students wishing to stay at Hogwarts for the break. Lily, Alice, and Mary were all returning home to their parents, which made Catherine slightly jealous, but she was happy to have the opportunity to stay at Hogwarts, even if she was alone.

As the school cleared out, Catherine realized how few students really stayed for the Holidays. Many of them were fifth and seventh year students, who had too much homework to worry about to enjoy a holiday at home anyway. She spent the first few days of break reading by the fireside in a comfy chair in the common room that was usually always taken. However, she also enjoyed the chance to explore the empty castle. There seemed to be endless corridors and stairways, and there was always a new place to discover, or to rediscover, if it was a place she was only familiar with through her dreams of the past.

There was one bad moment during these explorations, when she saw Gregory approaching. He had spotted her and started to advance towards her, but she quickly ran away, wishing for a place to hide that she could lock him out of, and she dove through an unfamiliar door to find a very small room that she could hide in, with a muggle lock just like she had envisioned.

That night was Christmas Eve. Catherine and Sirius Black seemed to be the only Gryffindor first years left in the tower, but she had yet to see him until then. When she returned to the common room from wandering the many isles at the library, he was sitting by the fire.

She was going to just head up to the empty dorm room and give up her usual place by the fire, but he said, "Wait! You can stay here."

She slowly walked back to her usual seat, which was close to the couch he was sitting on.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly.

"For what?" said Sirius, looking at her curiously.

"Giving me a chance to not be completely alone on Christmas Eve for once?" she said.

Sirius looked surprised. "Well, then, thanks to you too. I'm not usually alone on Christmas, but these past few years I've been wishing I was."

"Well yeah," Catherine replied, "I have my father, but I wasn't really counting him, since he's not really positive company." She didn't know what had made her say all this…but the loneliness had been starting to eat at her.

"Sounds like my family," said Sirius. There were several moments of silence as they both reminisced on their unpleasant Christmas memories.

"I never realized how empty and huge Hogwarts can seem with no one here," said Catherine. "It started to feel like I was back at home again..." she trailed off.

"I see what you mean. It's weird here without James and Remus," said Sirius.

"And Mary and Alice for me," said Catherine.

There was silence as they both warmed themselves by the fire in their comfy chairs.

"It's nice to get away from my parents and my brother though," said Sirius nonchalantly, as if it was "nice", but no big deal.

Catherine felt the tension beneath the words, and she had a feeling this was something they had in common. "I have a brother too, and he's so angry that I've been sorted into Gryffindor. But I don't care." She kept her voice casual too, as if it didn't really tear her heart out.

Sirius sat up. "You shouldn't," he said sincerely. "My whole family is mad that I'm in Gryffindor."

"My father's just mad that I'm a witch in the first place," said Catherine, but as she was saying it she realized that fact didn't even sadden her anymore. It just didn't matter, because here she was, at Hogwarts, being a witch, despite him.

Feeling her eyelids getting heavier and heavier, Catherine slowly sunk into the couch and laid down. Sirius and she chatted a little while longer, switching to lighter topics of the recent Quidditch matches, and how they both couldn't wait to be on the team. Catherine absolutely adored flying. It seemed like the ultimate freedom.

_"Freedom." _

_ "From what? From me? Jessa, please…"_

_ "No, Edward! I can't do this anymore! I don't care if I die! Why can't you understand?" Jessa and Edward were standing in a remote tower of Hogwarts, in what seemed to be the dead of night. Edward was reaching out to her, trying to soothe her, but she backed away._

_ "I must have my freedom Edward," she said. "One way or another." _

"NO!" Catherine sat up abruptly, startled out of her dream. She was still in the common room, but the fire was almost dead. Sirius was snoring in his chair. Shaking her head, got up and silently made her way to her empty dorm. She sat down on her bed and tried to piece together the pieces of Jessa's long past story.

Catherine had seen Jessa competing in the Tournament. Two tasks had happened already, and both had been perilous, but Jessa had made it through. However, the girl was quickly forgetting her reasons for entering. She had wanted to prove a point, to her father, to Edward, to herself. She had wanted to preserve the memory of Edward's brother and make a stand against the Tournament if she lost…but by dying herself? Catherine couldn't comprehend it. For being almost twelve years old, she had had her fair share of sadness in life so far, but she could not understand the idea of sacrificing herself for a cause. There had to be another way…didn't there?


	6. Knowledge is Power

Chapter Six

_Jessa and Edward were standing down by the Lake. It was the dead of night, but an almost full moon shone above, casting a cool glow on the still water. _

_"I do not know whether I can do this, Edward," Jessa said desperately, putting her face in her hands. "What if our plan fails? I won't live after all if I never see you again," she was pleading with him. _

_Edward gently took her hands and held them to his chest. "It is the only way, Jessa. We're doing this because we have to. You cannot keep competing in this tournament, where your brother can so easily kill you and make it look like an accident. Your entering was a terrible mistake, and you know it." _

_Jessa looked ashamed. That fire of determination was gone from her eyes. "You're right, and I know it, I do, Edward! But what if—" _

_"Jessa, look at me!" He took her face in his hands. "I love you. I love you because you are strong, and courageous, and you stand up for what is right!"_

_Shaking her head at him in disbelief, she opened her mouth to deny this but Edward cut her off, "No, just listen, my dear. You were so afraid of your father, and rightly, but you went and did this anyway," he was almost laughing. "You entered the TriWizard Tournament, you, a girl that everyone hates, and you've won. You've won already, because tomorrow, the whole world is going to be defeated. They are all going to assume you are dead, and this barbaric, evil contest will be over forever. No one will ever have to live through what you've had to live through." _

_"But even if it all works out, he'll know, Edward!" Jessa was frantic. "He'll find me!" she said sobbing. Edward took her in his arms and looked up at the pale moon in the sky, pleading with it to take her pain away. _

_"He will _not. _I will protect you, always," he said. "And I'll be waiting tomorrow, when you come back out of that forest." _

_The scene changed and Jessa was wearing her TriWizard robe, dashing through the forest as fast as her legs could carry her. The determination was back in her eyes, and it looked invincible. The third Task was underway._

_Out of nowhere, a centaur trotted directly into her path, and she had to stop abruptly and fell. She found herself in a rather large clearing, with a small lake at the center." The centaur, with a mad look in his eye, advanced swiftly. He towered over her. _

_"No human is tolerated in this forest, for any purpose!" He said viciously. _

_"Please!" said Jessa, terrified. "Please, they made me come here for the Tournament! I didn't want to!" _

_The centaur was enraged. "That barbaric contest for which all magical creatures are used! Centaurs captured and set loose to be used as mere obstacles, as if we were mere animals with fangs to avoid! Well, young one, you are about to learn just how far the fang of the centaur bites!" _

_The majestic creature reared up and his massive hooves swung through the air. Jessa screamed, but she was too deep in the forest for anyone from Hogwarts to hear, and she couldn't reach her wand in time. _

Gasping, Catherine startled awake and tried to catch her breath as she realized she was shaking with heaving sobs. She was horrified. How could this have happened? What was the point of all these visions, or dreams, whatever they were, of Jessa and her life if it were to end that way? She couldn't comprehend it. She kept seeing the centaur's hooves and his angry face, advancing on Jessa, over and over again.

Someone swung open the curtains to her bed and Catherine screamed.

"Catherine! It's me!" Lily was there, looking frightened. "What's the matter? What's happened?" Catherine was embarrassed, and she quickly snapped back to reality, wiping her eyes and trying to get a hold of her tears.

"I-I'm sorry-y," she breathed. "It was just a nightmare." She could see Mary and Alice sitting up in their beds, looking at her concernedly.

"Really, I'm fine," she said quickly. "I'll just get up now." It was morning anyway. She could feel the girls' eyes on her as she rushed into the bathroom. She splashed her face with cold water and forced herself to take a deep breath and relax. She just wouldn't think about it. She wouldn't think about it until she was truly alone, in her special place.

Upon the return to classes after the holidays, the thing Catherine looked forward to most was the flying lessons. She had loved the sensation of gliding effortlessly through the air from the first moment, and although the height and speed took some getting used to, she was not afraid. It was a deep thrill, a sense of excitement and purpose she hadn't known before. And, best of all, she was _good _at it. Now, she took the opportunity to use the school brooms and fly whenever she had the chance. Technically students were supposed to get permission from the flying instructor to use the school brooms, but if she did that, she would have to fly only in the Quidditch pitch. Catherine had a different, somewhat forbidden, place in mind.

Her friends gave her concerned looks and kept asking if she was quite sure she was alright all that day, and Catherine badly needed to get away. At dusk, she escaped to the Quidditch pitch and unlocked the broom shed with the "Alohomora" spell. She had found that one quite useful.

Soon enough, she was flying, soaring faster than she'd ever gone, over the forbidden forest in the twilight. She had to see the place…the place where Jessa had died.

Meanwhile…

James had dared Sirius to "borrow" one of the school brooms and go flying…alone…at night…over the Forbidden Forest. They both thought it was an awesome dare, and that no one in their right mind would actually go through with. Of course, Sirius went through with it anyway, and James went along for the ride.

The last thing they expected was to come upon a girl from Hogwarts crying, alone, in the middle of the Forest, with a broom beside her.

"It's that weird girl, Catherine!" said James. Sirius hit him. "What?" I just want—"

James cut off as Sirius shoved him to be quiet. A centaur had just come into the clearing where Catherine sat sobbing. Hearing the leaves rustle, Catherine looked up and screamed.

She tried to get away too fast and fell, her heart pounding with fear.

"Young one, you are a quite peculiar human-child, are you not?" The centaur said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Ha!" James whispered. Sirius shoved him again as the Centaur glanced in their direction.

"I-I'm sorry," said Catherine. "You just…startled me..and..." she trailed off. How could she explain what she had witnessed, on this very spot, nearly two hundred years ago?

"I can feel it too. The past. I could see it, in your eyes," elaborated the Centaur when Catherine looked at him questioningly.

"Yes, something happened here, once…" he continued mysteriously. "But we are not our ancestors, my young one, are we?"

"How—how did you…know?" Catherine said shakily.

"Dear child, it is the gift of the centaurs to have knowledge that defies time. Knowledge is so much more than the boundaries of time would confine it to be! But it is rare that a human-child such as yourself would possess a semblance of this gift also. It intrigues me."

"Oh." Said Catherine stupidly. She was beginning to feel more comfortable around this creature, despite the history of the place which she had so recently witnessed. "I can't See the rest of story, though, or I just haven't yet…" said Catherine despondently.

"Yes, the visions of human Seers are often imperfect, and do not show the whole story," the Centaur looked up at the stars as he said this, and contemplated them, and in so doing also contemplated Sirius and James, who were still resting in the top of a nearby tree. James hit Sirius. Sirius hit James. They both scrambled onto their brooms and fled.

Catherine was oblivious to any of this, caught up as she was in contemplating what the Centaur had just revealed to her.

"Visions? What I've seen in my dreams…these are visions?" she looked up at the Centaur hopefully. Here, finally, was someone who could explain these things to her, even if he did speak in riddles.

He merely looked at her in assent, and Catherine felt as if he was seeing more in her eyes than she even knew. "I'm Catherine," she said, to break the lingering silence.

"How odd, to make acquaintance with a human-child. But you are not just any human-child. You are a Seer, and share the gift of knowledge that all of my kind possess, although yours is somewhat less," the Centaur nodded, confirming his own words. "Yes. We shall be acquaintances, you, Catherine, and I, Firenze."

"Well then. Nice to meet you Firenze," said Catherine simply. She was beginning to think he was a little bit odd, but hey, so was she.

"Wait," said Catherine, "If you can feel the history of this place, can you see what happened? With Jessa and the Tournament at Hogwarts?"

The centaur gave her a sharp look. "I cannot tell you a story that does not belong to you. It must be shown to you, by the Fates that will it to be so, or you will not see it."

Catherine was disappointed. "I just don't understand why I see these things. Especially since Jessa just..died…what was the point?"

The centaur took a step towards her and wagged his finger at her, saying, "It is not up to you to question Fate! You will see things as they happened, but you have not the right to demand knowledge that it is not yours to know. Here is why humans are not gifted as centaurs. It is not your right to know all things! Humans ever would use knowledge for their own purposes!"

Catherine was not really afraid, despite the Centaur's harsh tone. She was more sorry she had offended the majestic creature, and she did not want him to stop telling her things.

"Could you teach me, then?" Catherine inquired quietly, "Could you teach me to cherish this knowledge the way the Centaurs do, and learn from it, but not abuse it?"

The Centaur looked down his long nose at her, considering. "I shall." He pronounced, and then looked up at the stars once again. "You shall learn the meaning of your visions, and you shall learn that the sake of knowledge is knowledge itself, and that whatever you see will always have a purpose. The past is important because of the future it holds. But you will learn the harshest lesson…that there is nothing you can do, to change it. The past or the future."

Catherine felt a shiver run up her spine when he said that, and she had an ominous feeling that this would not be any easy lesson to learn. However, these visions, if that really was what they were, were a part of her that needed investigating, and Firenze would help her do that.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

He nodded solemnly. "Now you must go back, to your human school, and you must learn and grow and see more of the past. You must remember everything that you see, because it will always have a purpose, even when you can't see it. You will know when you need to come to me again. You will come here."

Catherine took his every word in carefully, and turned to go, back to the place where she belonged, despite the humans who would "use knowledge for their own purposes".


End file.
